60-Year-Old Life Hacks That Still Hold Up!

While DIYing may seem like a truly modern trend, like millennial pink or Snapchat, it’s easy to forget that the concept is really just a throwback of sorts, a tip of the hat to simpler times when people actually HAD to do things themselves! Because of this, there are still plenty of vintage manuals from this era that collecting dust on the shelves of antique shops everywhere.

They may not be worth as much as the chic, glossy-covered DIY books being sold in today’s bookstores, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t chock-full of helpful tips—just ask our friends over at HouseholdHacker.

These guys have decided to put some 60-year-old hacks to the test to see if they still hold up in today’s modern world. Here are a few of our favorites…

Massage your bacon

Though we find it difficult to come up with solid complaints when it comes to this ever-delicious pork product, there is one thing that it does not do well—separate. You see, when in its raw form, it tends to congeal right inside of the package, leaving home cooks with fragmented, uncooked strips and greasy hands.

Well, as it turns out, this problem was actually solved more than 60 years ago—and the remedy is SO easy! All you need to do is take the package and roll it between the palms of your hands a few times before opening up. Once you are finished, you will be met with perfect, intact strips. Who knew?

Use a potato as a pincushion

If you are an avid DIYer, you likely work with plenty of different kinds of sharp objects! Because of this, it’s easy to get slowed down or tripped up in the name of safety—after all, who wants to reach their hand into a deathtrap package of piercing pins and nails, anyway?

To solve this, simply grab a potato, of all things, and stick your tacks, nails, screws, precision knives, and scissors right into its flesh. Sure, it may look like it belongs in some bizarre modern art gallery, but this starchy food does an excellent job of keeping your sharp materials safe and ready to use at a moment’s notice!

Swap out your oven mitt for a dustpan

Let’s be honest; how many oven mitts do you have lying around in your kitchen right now? Unless you are a true domestic god or goddess, we are willing to bet that, even if you do have a few of these culinary accouterments, they are not in the greatest condition.

So, instead of sticking your hand into a glove filled with burn holes and cobwebs, remove your hot pizza or pie from your oven using a metal (and ONLY metal!) dustpan. The sharp, flat end works wonders on catching even the most cumbersome of dishes. Smart!

To get the full scoop on these hacks, as well as 13 more mind-blowing bonus tips, be sure to watch HouseholdHacker’s video below. Their clip is proof that, just because it’s old, sure doesn’t mean it’s broken!

Now that you’ve been enlightened on these decades’ old life hacks, we’d love to hear from you! Have you attempted any of these before? If so, were you happy with your results? Do you have any tried and true DIYs that you think should be added to this list?